The streets of Seaside were packed Monday for the annual Martin Luther King Day march. Hundreds showed up on their day off to be on their feet partaking in the peaceful gathering.

"The idea that it's not a day off, it's a day on, that we need to recognize our obligations as citizens and as humans, and to bridge the gaps that still exist," Seaside Mayor Ralph Rubio said about what the event means to him.

Advertisement

Seaside has decades of history celebrating Martin Luther King Day, which explains why so many people showed up for the event. In attendance were community leaders, church groups, African-American sororities and fraternities, youth organizations and school children.

"It's really fun you get to work with your friends, and stand up for something that happened a long time ago, and should still be happening now," said Makayla Sorenson a fifth-grader at Bayview Academy.

Many of the young people in attendance said while they respect the work of past generations, they feel there is still more to be done.

"I really feel deep inside that he did get us freedom outside, but still inside there's not," said 14-year-old Eraya Johnson who is president of the local NAACP Youth Council.

Eraya said current issues on her mind include police brutality and racism in the schools.

"I like the worst thing that we could do is to ignore them, to pretend that everything is fine, but I feel like when we come together build unity and we talk about them and we address them it's solving the problem," said Johnson friend and fellow high school student Sabria Henry-Hunter.

Many of the members of the older generations in the crowd said while problems have been left to be solved since King died, their thought is that it is best to do it with a united front.

"He had a sense that when you bring people together you can make things happen and that's a great legacy and think that is something we should remember," Dennis Donohue, a former Salinas Mayor and county supervisor candidate, said about King.

Many local lawmakers and political hopefuls were in attendance at the march.

Those who showed up included Supervisor Jane Parker, Democratic state Sen. Bill Monning, who is up for re-election, U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., and one of the candidates running for Farr's soon to be vacant seat, Deputy District Attorney Jimmy Panetta.

"It's something that shouldn't be just this day but it should be every day, that we recognize that there are still issues that remain unsolved when it comes to many communities," Panetta said about what brought him to the march.

Several of those community leaders say showing up for the march is just a small thing they do to show their dedication to the Central Coast and the challenges of all people living here.